[Guest Film Review] "Taegukgi"2016/06/04,
The fourth-in-a-row blockbuster regarding the relations between North and South Korea (after "Shiri", "JSA - Joint Security Area" and "Silmido"), broke the records of both budget, with $12,8 millions, and admissions, with 11.74 million spectators in the country's cinemas, while its earnings bordered on $70 million. Furthermore, it was a success in Japan earning $9,7 million, and it was also released in the United Stated, earning $1,1 million. Testament to the scale of the production are the years of research spent to ensure historic validity, the huge sets, and the number of supernumeraries used, who exceeded 25,000, in order to achieve absolute realism in the war scenes,...More

Elderly Made Sick by Babysitting Duties2015/10/11, Source,
A growing number of elderly people are being tasked with babysitting their grandchildren as the parents go out to work. This has led to increasing back and joint problems among senior citizens as they have to lift their grandchildren several times a day. According to Statistics Korea, the contribution by married women to family income rose from 3.4 percent in 1982 to 12.7 percent in 2008, or around four-fold,...More

'Bungee Jump' tells of complex love story2012/08/04, Source,
Will Aronson, left, and Hue Park wrote the music and lyrics, respectively, for the new show "Bungee Jump" based on the 2001 movie "Bungee Jumping of their Own". / Courtesy of Lee Soo-jin
"Bungee Jumping of their Own", a popular 2001 film about a love transcending time, space and gender, is being staged as a musical at Blue Square's Samsung Card Hall in Hannam-dong, Seoul. Composer Will Aronson, who has worked previously with Musical Heaven, the musical's production company, and lyricist Hue Park told The Korea Times about their work, collaboration and friendship,...More

Data from Statistics Korea show that cases of top entertainers killing themselves result in a steep rise of copycat su,...More

Park Yong-ha still not let go by Japanese fans2010/07/21, Source,
The late Korean actor Park Yong-ha [photographed by Lee Won-woo/10Asia]Japanese fans have still not let Park Yong-ha go
"We pray for the soul of Park Yong-ha from the bottom of our hearts. We are truly grateful for your bright smile". As Japan still continues to commemorate late Korean actor Park Yong-ha who took his own life on June 30, TBS' television show "KinSma" hosted by Nakai Masahiro, the leader of popular J-pop group SMAP, featured a special one-hour episode for Park on July 9. The relationship between the actor and the show began in July 2006 when Park stepped in as a temporary emcee for "KinSma". The special episode featured interviews with Japanese celebrities who had been close to Park, including producer Tsunku who created [J-pop girl band] Morning Musume and popular emcee Utsumi Midori who is famous for her connections with Korean stars, as well as showing Park's activities in Japan. A video letter from the late actor's fan Ishibashi Etsuko, who is suffering from an incurable disease, made viewers eyes well up with tears,...More

Four out of every 10 actors here have been suffering from depression and have had suicidal urges from time to time, according to a degree paper by actress,...More

[INTERVIEW] Actor Sul Kyung-gu (Part 2)2010/01/11, Source,
Actor Sul Kyung-gu [Beck Una/10Asia]Beck Una (Beck): And that is when you decided to take the civil service examination. Sul Kyung-gu (Seol): Haha. Let me explain that to you. I was dying to leave the Hanyang Repertory. I'd already graduated but that place was an extension of school while I wanted to meet a larger variety of people. I didn't think they'd let me go for no reason so I lied that I'm going to take the civil service exam. (laugh) But what's so spontaneous about me is that although I had left because I didn't like it, I didn't have anything to do right away. And I needed money but I didn't want to ask my parents for it so I ended up asking a senior of mine to give me a part-time job putting up posters. The interesting thing is that I ended up staying in the industry. Of course, if I had really taken off, I might have ended up becoming human trash. (laugh) Anyway, I had been at the job for about a month and a half? I was suddenly asked if I would want to take part in the musical "Line 1". Mr. Kim Min-ki had seen me about, putting up the posters and asked me if I would want to take part thinking that I'm hardworking. That had been my audition for it. Me and actors from all walks of life with all sorts of experience rehearsed for three months and wow, it was so much fun. That was the start of "Line 1". It also did very well. Before I took on film "Girls' Night Out", I was making two million won per month and drove a Sephia. (laugh) But after "Line 1", I had no work at all. That's when scenarist Lee Seon-mi, who used to do plays, recommended me to writer Jeong Seong-joo. And that is how I got to become part of the cast for morning TV series "Sisters". I think I'm a very person when it comes to human relationships. Beck: Did you not think of taking on dramas after "Sisters"? Seol: Why wouldn't I have? I was also asked to quite a lot. Not official auditions but one-on-one. But you know how you get glanced at from head to toe? I really hated the look they gave me when they do that. So after "Girls' Night Out" and then "Rainbow Trout", a man called Lee Chang-dong called me. Beck: After he watched "Girls' Night Out"?,...More

Many say the Korean wave, or hallyu, is dwindling. Some say the fault is on promotion, while others argue about quality. For former entertainment reporter and now professor Hong Sung-kyu, it is the overall mindset that is preventing the wave from moving further.,...More

What nude scenes mean for actresses2006/03/27, Source, Just two decades ago, it was rare for movie fans to see actresses do nude scenes because of strict censorship and most stars were hesitant about undressing for the camera.

But as the domestic moviemaking trend took an innovative turn towards liberal expression, nude scenes no longer made much new,...More

Cinematic Discovery of Seoul2006/02/23, Source, As a 600-year-old city, Seoul has a variety of faces and treasures, ranging from ancient palaces to futuristic architectural structures.

Some Seoul residents are not even aware of these diverse visages, and are astonished when they see unfamiliar views in films that they discover were made in the,...More

A Year of Big Changes and Small Setbacks for Korean TV2005/12/27, Source, 2005 will be remembered as a year of new trends in Korea's entertainment industry. On the one hand, there were the large-scale dramas starring big names that were clearly produced with an eye on Asian markets that showed themselves receptive to the Korean wave. But equally importantly, some smaller,...More

Top Actress's Suicide Shocks Nation2005/02/22, Source, Lee Eun-joo, who shot to fame with her roles in the TV drama "Firebird" and the film "Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War", hanged herself in her apartment on Tuesday. She was 25. Lee's brother alerted police after discovering her lifeless body at,...More

"The woman saw how beautiful the tree was and how good its fruit would be to eat, and she thought how wonderful it would be to become wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it".

Pusan film fest gains growing influence2004/10/16, Source, The Pusan International Film Festival wrapped up its nine-day run yesterday, confirming its growing popularity among movie buffs in Korea and Asia.
The much-celebrated annual film festival featured 266 movies from 63 countries, a lineup that has set a new record in its nine-year history. A horde o,...More

Fans of Han Suk-kyu, star of local hit movies such as "Shiri" and "Christmas in August" will be able to see him in his upcoming movie ",...More

Pusan film fest pursues cinema diversity2004/10/05, Source, The Pusan International Film Festival will kick off its much-touted nine-day run Thursday, featuring 266 films from 63 countries - the most in the festival's nine-year history.
Organizers said they have put much emphasis on the diversity in international cinema, screening more works from Africa, L,...More

In a year when major European festivals have gone Hollywood in a big way, the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), Asia's biggest cinema event, will continue to go the other direction, emphasizing the diversity in international cinema more than in previous years,...More

This is the current atmosphere at Choong Moo Ro (film district). According to the Bank of Korea, the movie industry's 2003 sales were some 3.7780 trillion won. This is a rapid growth with sales more than triple 1997's 1.257,...More

The long-awaited domestic film "Taegukgi" has finally arrived in theaters, and in many ways it doesn't disappoint. Costing nearly 15 billion won to make, the film, about two brothers caught up in the Korean War, is visually as,...More

Lee Eun-joo | Community

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Really didn't know who or what is her name. As I only see her the very first time from our cable network in the Firebird or Phoenix drama. That was on the 5th, Nov. I am overwhelmed to see this beautiful Korean lady. She is really a good actress. In my heart SHE REPRESENT WHAT'S IN A WOMEN. I am totally captivated by her beauty, sensuality and uniqueness. So, today I did a net search for who she is. A lovely name LEE EUN-JOO ( Yi Un Ju). Read her profiles and was SHOCK when there is a DOD 12/2/2005. Oh my God! Almost immediately I am out of breath. Today's the day I know her and also the day I lost her. Began searching in the net for more news..wondering what happen; is it accident or illness. It shock me more when she committed suicide..It was a Loss to her admirer and fans alike, more towards her unconditional reasons.
Her beauty shine through in the drama even I had just watch till part4. Guess part 5 onwards till the end wont be the same to me since knowing she is not here anymore...My feeling at this moment is very very sad, just like the day my younger brother died sometimes ago. Nothing can bring her back..I will love Ms LEE EUN-JOO more from part 5 onwards and will always remember her for she had touch my inner heart ...with love. May your happy soul R.I.P Goodbye..

whew... actually i just read the columns and i'm not a fan but i'm affected.. such a young life actually... i thought lee eun joo was too old because i saw in one thread of kim ki bum that she was the ideal girl and then there's a note that she's already dead, so i came to surf and find out who she was. i was shocked with the age of 25 she just ended her life. maybe it is so difficult to live at her life. her face, seems i've seen it for several times i don't know where i saw her... and i can't remember... whew rest in peace.

I heard about her. I hope that she will be seen in many movies, so I feel very sad to this event. Any way,
I want her to be born in a better world than this and not to happen this events in the next life.

I knew the saddening news of the death of this pretty actress Lee Eun Joo and Iam really shocked that she committed suicide
why would she take that decision?she gained the love,fame and beauty
it is obvious that all these things could not make her happy,she kept searching herself for alost precious thing but she was not able to find it,then was her hard decision
god spread his mercy upon her soul that was not able to find its way in life

I'll miss her. It was last week when I knew about her death. I was watching POP in soul when I learned about it. I was really shocked. Now, I'm feeling depressed too. It's so saddening. If I only knew her at that time, and was rich. I'll pay for her mother's debt so that she won't have to pay them. Or comfort her for being depressed after the movie scarlet letter. Rumors had it that these were the reasons why she killed herself.
I wish that many people would bring her more love than what she had when she was still alive. I hope she's fine wherever she is right now.

At least that's what her family wants everyone to believe. The other side of the story according to close friends and associates is that she killed herself because of the continual psychological abuse and chronic gambling addiction of her mother.

Apparently, the mother was so addicted to gambling that she would demand more and more money from her daughter to keep her rolling, even though she eventually lost it all. And when Eun-ju couldn't come up with the requisite funds, the mother allegedly subjected her to torrents of abuse and criticism, particularly about her budding -- and by all accounts -- successfull movie career.

The daughter's, Lee Eun-ju, only fault apparently was to be as dutiful as she was to her mother -- and apparently somewhat codependent. That she was finally driven to suicide seems to be because she couldn't take the combination of abuse and criticism from her own mother, combined with being used as a walking and talking ATM machine, specifically for the purposes of fueling a gambling habit.

Of course, the mother and other family members are trying to discount this side of the story and discredit her associates and friends by saying that Eun-ju killed herself b/c she was forced against her will into doing porn. For a professional actress, this is of course absurd. Also, if you've seen the alleged "nude scenes" in question that allegedly drove Lee Eun-ju to suicide as her mother would want everyone to believe (from her movie "A virgin stripped bare by her bachelors"), you'd wonder what the hell they're talking about.

The scenes in question wouldn't warrant an "R" MPAA rating. Her exposure was PG-13 at best.

In my opinion, Lee Eun-ju was unfortunately the victim of a loveless and cruel mother, who wouldn't giver her the validation she needed, while making her a pawn of her own obsessive gambling addiction and greed. It's a terrible thing to be a codependent child of an addicted parent. RIP Lee Eun-ju.

Kim Jong Il wanted her as a consort. She didn't want to go to North Korea. (25 years ago in the Park Jung Hee era, she would have been forced to go, or would have been Park Jung Hee's consort). Korea is not like the USA. The gov't has control over anything. The gov't wanting to keep relations with South Korea wanted to her go, but these days they couldn't force her. But when she refused, they closed all doors for her in her career. I heard this from my wife (we're both korean), who heard it from her friends in Korea who are into popular korean culture. There's the story that is out there, and then there's really what happened. Ask anybody in Korea who is in the know, they'll tell you the same. I seriously doubt she would commit suicide over a nude scene. Actresses should be ready for that kind of stuff. You never heard of an actress killing herself over something like that, especially when it's part of the job.

I've heard the same thing as FrankySantlemon My friends' parent's used to live near Lee Eun-Ju's grandmothers home or something of that sort and heard that the reason for her suicide was because of her family's debts the mom and brother had? Well, that's what I heard while my friend's mom told my mom about what really drove her to commit suicide.

i seen ur burial & lot of ur co actress/actors there, to give u last respect, if u can see many are there & it proves that u been or i say STILL love by theM especially ur MOm i u love ur mom so much that ur suicide note tells that u apologized what ur done & u do love her..to late f u realize how such a wonderful earth were u live in...rest in peace

love to watch phoenix beautiful story, ur superb actress, ur the one y i like to watch korean movies it touches our heart & i can relate, it sad that ur gone now...i dont understand why u do that life is beautiful for u to unnotice...i cant blame u,..may u rest & peace hope that the googd LOrd accompanied you in heaven

i was going to see scarlet letter so i was looking up the actors and omg i can't believe she killed herself...the reasons seem so weird you know to get to that point...but they say she was depressed and stuff then in another site they said she killed herself because she was forced to pay some gambling debts of her mom....don't really know what to believe

I heard that she did suicide, because of "The Scarlet Letter". Honestly, I don't understand why she did that. I watched that movie, and yeah.. she naked in that movie, but only from back.. not that bad..

I have seen 3 of her movie (Taegukgi, Lover's Concerto, and The Scarlet Letter). Not too much, but I think she's a good actrees..

Good bye Lee Eun-joo..
RIP

from someone that cry by knowing that she's no longer exist in this beautiful world

Lee Eun-joo (故 이은주)

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